136 new coronavirus cases Monday, total 1,524

The Thailand government on Monday reported 136 new local cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients, raising the total to 1,524, and asked the public to try harder to stay home. No new deaths were reported. The number of new infections was marginally lower than the 143 reported on Sunday.

Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said there were now patients in 59 provinces, with the increased numbers in Bangkok, Chon Buri, Krabi, Nonthaburi, Pattani, Phuket, Sa Kaeo, Ubon Ratchathani and Yala raising particular concern. Nine new cases were reported in Phuket on Monday.

He told the briefing that 32 patients in Phuket and six in Krabi had worked at entertainment places, restaurants and hotels, while some were public transport drivers.

Twenty-two patients in Yala and 23 patients in Pattani had attended religious ceremonies in Malaysia; 17 patients in Chon Buri included foreigners, visitors to pubs and returnees from Bangkok; eight in Sa Kaeo had worked in Poipet, and seven in Ubon Ratchathani had worked in Poipet and had been in contact with Muay Thai teachers from Bangkok.

“The numbers of patients in other provinces are growing faster than Bangkok… The cases in Thailand are increasing at a similar pace with Malaysia… People must cooperate with disease control measures,” Dr Taweesin said.

He said that the government was maintaining restrictions on people's movements in the four southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Phuket and Yala. Beaches were off-limits and people were ordered to stay home from 8pm to 3am in Phuket, he added.

Dr Taweesin stressed that people must try harder to reduce commuting in order to help control Covid-19. Last Saturday, the number of journeys dropped by slightly over 40% from the week before, but to effectively control the disease, a 90% reduction was necessary, he said.

Meanwhile, Defence Ministry spokesman Lt Gen Kongcheep Tantrawanit said many Thai people currently overseas wanted to return to the homeland, especially Thai workers in Malaysia and Indonesia.

The southern command of the Internal Security Operations Command was on Monday sealing the Thai-Malaysian border to prevent illegal immigration through natural border crossings. All south-bound train services were halted before they reached the southern border provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala, ending their journeys in Hat Yai district of Songkhla.